Letters Are Stupid
by Dreaming-Of-A-Nightmare
Summary: My attention is caught now. “You know, I sort of miss the guy. I wonder what he’s up to… by the sound of it, he has as much to do as Tsunade-baachan, except he doesn’t get drunk or take a nap during the job.”.:.NaruGaa threeshot, full of fluff. COMPLETE!
1. Part 1

**A/N: Yes, it's another "ooh, they send each other letters~!1!!one" type of story. (even though I already wrote an e-mailing one). But I couldn't resist! I was mopping the floor (yeah, don't ask why I got the idea at that time) and was thinking about such a cute scenario, so I decided to write it out. It's terribly cliché, I know, but I couldn't resist. Problem is, I kinda-sorta stole an idea from someone else. And the idea is what when writing to Naruto, Gaara might cross out a few things because it's hard to write to someone he cares so much about.**

**Plus, I just love writing in Naruto's POV, and really missed doing it. ;D**

**EDIT: Due to popular demand, I have decided to make this a twoshot, and will post the next chapter within the next few days. Happy now, folks? **

* * *

I think Sakura-chan has it in for me. I seriously believe she does; her _and _Tsunade-baachan. Both of them are constantly putting me through the stupidest situations. Tsunade-baachan sends me on wild goose chase kinds of missions and Sakura-chan tries to set me up on blind dates in our free time. And they both put me pain. Not all physical, either; some of it is really humiliating, which is it's own special kind of pain.

I sigh and let my head fall onto the wooden table outside by one of Sakura's most favorite restaurant. The pinkette looks down at me and smiles. "Aw, is something wrong, Naruto?" she says in a playful tone.

"Yeah, I'm bored off my ass and hating the fact that you keep dragging me into the dumbest stuff." I retort, my voice muffled by the cloth over my arms.

"Oh, come on, I don't do that," she defends. "I'm just trying to make you happy again. You've been so sour ever since that huge thing with the Akatsuki leader."

"Why shouldn't I be? A lot of things happened in that fight! Including…" I drift off, not wanting to remind myself of what happened to my old perverted mentor. I'm getting choked up already.

"Naruto…" Sakura says gently. She rubs the back of my hand. "Come with me. I think you need some R and R: rest and relaxation." She winks and pays for her meal before wrapping up what she didn't finish eating. She brings me up and pulls me off towards the hot springs.

I groan in protest but am forced to tag along nonetheless. I swear, Sakura is relentless! When she wants to do something, she won't stop until it's done. Why am I friends with her, again? Oh yeah, because I'm her teammate and I used to have a kiddy-crush on her.

While walking towards the hot springs, we come across Shikamaru and Temari. Shikamaru is still smoking, which bothers me, but none of us can get him to stop. Still, he's a lot better with Asuma-sensei's death, and I'd like to think it's thanks to Temari.

"Oi, Shikamaru! Temari-san!" I call out as I break from Sakura's grip and wave their way. The blonde and brunette glance up from whatever conversation they were having to wave in greeting.

"What's up, Naruto?" Temari asks once we meet.

"I'm dragging him to the hot springs to cheer him up," Sakura elaborates. "He's pretty reluctant, though," she added with a laugh.

Temari rolls her eyes. "Trust me, you don't know a reluctant man until you've worked with Shika over here," she says with a thumb pointing in his direction while he frowns at her, "Or have lived with Gaara." She shakes her head. "Especially if you've lived with Gaara. You want to see reluctant? Be with him when he's a cranky preteen and try to get him to just have one dinner together." Temari chuckles dryly. "That's reluctance times ten plus hell."

Shikamaru puts his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, when I was in Suna last week," he says around a drag of his cigarette, "He was only reluctance times three without the hell." The smoke leaks out as he speaks, and I try not to gag over the smell. "Big change, huh?"

Sakura agrees with a nod. "Gaara-sama has changed a lot over the years." She cocks her head. "I wonder how he's doing these days?"

Temari sighed and shrugs. "He's my baby brother, but I don't even know. He's so busy lately."

My attention is caught now. "You know, I sort of miss the guy. I wonder what he's up to… by the sound of it, he has as much to do as Tsunade-baachan, except he doesn't get drunk or takes a nap during the job."

Temari grins. "Yes, he's a very hard worker. Part of his recent reluctance is to stop working. I think he's still trying to prove himself to our village."

That sounds extremely familiar… a little _too_ familiar. I look at the ground. "I respect that about him. He's a good 'Kage; a good _leader, _dattebayo."

Suddenly, Sakura gets this look in her eyes and she smiles really wide. "You know… if you miss him and are curious about what's going on, maybe you should send him a letter, Naruto."

Temari looks between Sakura and me. "That's a great idea! My brother never gets personal mail, so I bet it would brighten his day." She stands really close to me and pokes my chest on every other word. "So you better send him one, Uzumaki."

"Um, y-yes ma'am." I say, not wanting to disappoint someone like Temari. She's pretty crazy with that fan of hers, and I don't want to be at the other end of such a thing.

She smirks. "Good. Glad we understand each other." She turns to Shikamaru. "Come on, lazyass, we have things to do." Then she paces down the street in the direction that Sakura and I came from.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, O Wench of the Sand," he says as he follows her. "See you around, Sakura and Naruto."

I wave goodbye after them, but am torn away from it when Sakura grabs me by the arm and takes me down a new path. "Oi, let me go! What happened to going to the hot springs?"

"We're not going to the hot springs; I'm giving you a little homework."

"Homework? But we're not in the academy anymore!" I object.

"No, but we're going to your home and you have some work to do!"

"Like what? My house is clean for once, I promise!"

She growls exasperatedly, and releases me while she stares me down. "Look, Naruto, Temari is counting on you to send her lonely brother a letter that I know you actually _want_ to write, so we're not going to leave your house until we're ready to send it."

I groan in more protest, much heavier than when she was dragging me to the hot springs for 'R and R'. "But Sakura-chan…" I whine, "Letters are stupid!"

"No buts, Naruto! You're going to write one. Believe me," she adds much less bossily, "You won't regret it."

So I let her take me to my apartment, and she opens the door with her copy of my house key. We're such close friends, that I decided to trust her with it. Besides, you never know when an emergency might occur, right?

She sits me down at my kitchen table and hands me paper and a calligraphy pen. "I can help you if you don't know what to say," she offers.

I scrunch my face up. "I really don't know what to say," I admit. I look at the blank sheet of paper. Absolutely nothing comes to mind.

The pinkette giggles. "Kami, Naruto, you're so predictable." She shakes her head and looks into my eyes. "Start with, 'dear Gaara'."

"That sounds so girly." I grumble.

Sakura rolls her sea glass green eyes and leans back in her chair. "Fine, then just write, 'Gaara' at the top. It's a lot less formal and a bit short, but if it sounds 'manlier' to you, then by all means write it that way."

I chuckle. "Okay, if you say so." I start the letter with his name, the pen scribbling out black characters in my messy handwriting. "I should probably ask him a few things, huh? Like how he's doing, if he's busy, or if he's visiting soon. Right?"

"That's right," Sakura says with an encouraging grin. "And tell him that you miss him. That's always a nice thing to hear."

"Alright." I write out those things, but the letter sounds lame. "Maybe I should tell him about all the intense stuff that happened recently?"

"Yes, that's perfect! And tell him how you feel about it, and ask him if he's had any troubles." She lists off, her aura energetic. It's so energetic that I bet I could electrocute myself with her energy.

I sigh and keep writing. In the end, my letter sounds so dumb I'm tempted to throw it out the window.

"Let me read it, please, Naruto? I bet it's not as horrible as you think!" Sakura says with that pouting expression on her face. The same one I used to use when I wanted something (usually a higher-ranking mission) from Tsunade-baachan.

"Uhg, fine. Read it. But it's not very good," I say as I hand it over.

"I'll say! You're handwriting is _atrocious_," she giggles. She nudges me, and I'm ashamed to say that it hurt pretty damn bad; the girl doesn't know her own strength sometimes. "But… let's see how bad the rest of it is," she teases.

She clears her throat, and I know that means she's going to read it aloud. Great, just great! The last thing I need is for my neighbors (if they're home) to hear this dumbass letter I wrote to my red-haired friend in another village.

"_Gaara,_

"_How have you been doing lately? Your sister says that you've been real busy with Kazekage stuff. I wonder sometimes if I can do all the stuff you and Tsunade-baachan do as leaders when I become Hokage_."

Sakura pauses to look at me with an expression that says, 'you're still not letting go of that dream, are you?'

Then she continues: "_Speaking of the old hag, are you coming to Konoha soon for a meeting with her? It'd be nice to see you again. That way, we could catch up on things or something. I don't about you, but lately things here have been crazy. People my friends and I care about have passed away, and, well… there's been some fights with severe injuries, but nothing I can't handle. With the exception of losing Jiraiya… you've heard of him, right? He was pretty close to me. Like a father figure, I guess you could say. I won't get mushy on you about it, but you can probably see what I mean by 'crazy'. I'm nowhere near as busy as you are, but it's been hectic. I've had to run around doing all kinds of tiny missions for Tsunade-baachan, and let me tell you, it's pretty annoying. But I think she's trying to keep my mind off of things, so I don't mind it. Have you had anything like that happen to you? Like your siblings bugging you to try and cheer you up? Sakura's been doing that. She's a great friend, but sometimes I just want to handle things on my own; especially if it's _my_ feelings_…" Sakura stops reading for a second, the amused expression on her face gone. It's replaced by something much more tender, her lips relaxed from their smile. "Naruto, I had no idea –" she starts, but I cut her off.

"It's okay, 'ttebayo. Just finish reading the damn thing."

She nods and opens her mouth to speak again. "_Still, I can't complain. You probably understand what I'm going through more than anyone else, because somehow, that's simply how you and I are. I got to say, I really appreciate that. It's comforting to know there's someone out there, a friend of mine, who knows that about me. You were probably the first person to see passed my smiling mask and into my inner self. That's real talent right there. I guess you can do that with people, Gaara: you can analyze them real well_." Sakura laughs while she reads. "You're right about that," she comments. She finishes up with the last bit I have written: "_Anyway, I just thought I'd send you something to see how you're doing and to tell you that I was thinking of you. _

"_Until next time,_

"_Uzumaki Naruto._"

I flush a little and scratch the back of my head. "That last part sounds super girly, doesn't it?"

Sakura smiles softly. "No, not at all. It sounds… friendly. Which is good, Naruto." She stands up. "Now then, we should send this right away."

"Yeah, okay, 'ttebayo," I murmur. I follow her out the door and into the street. The messenger bird station isn't too far away, so it doesn't take long to arrive. We attach the letter to the one that sends mail to the Kazekage mansion in Suna.

As Sakura-chan and I watch the bird fly off above the trees of the forest, she places her hand on my shoulder. "Now all we have to do is wait and see if he replies."

I cross my arms over my chest. "I doubt it. Gaara doesn't seem the type. I just hope he gets the letter and _reads_ it."

The pinkette makes a face. "Hmm, yeah, that might be a problem."

"Thanks for confirming my doubts," I huff sarcastically.

She hits me lightly in the arm. "Don't be so negative, Naruto. You've been that way too much lately. How about I buy you some ramen?"

The word 'ramen' is like a trigger switch with me. I immediately grinned brightly, my positive demeanor back. "Would you really?"

"Of 'course. I hate seeing you like that," she confesses.

I hug her briefly. "Thanks, Sakura-chan!"

* * *

A couple weeks went by. At one point, I completely forgot about my letter to Gaara since it was a random occurrence and so small to me. I was curious about him, sure, but I knew he wouldn't respond. I sent the letter because Sakura-chan and Temari-san made me. Without them, I might have written something like it, but I would have never actually put it on a bird and sent it off. I suppose that goes to show how shy I can be.

But one day, when I was out in the woods sparring with Bushy Brows, Sakura came running towards us. Without a second's delay, Lee stops fighting me and starts shouting her name, his bandaged hands stirring the air in greeting.

"Hi, Lee!" She says in a chipper tone. She sends him a peace sign before coming up to me with a piece of paper in her hands. "Guess what you got?"

"A restraining order from Tsunade-baachan because I'm bothering her too much about missions?" I ask with a grin on my face.

"No," she coos, "Something much better. You got a letter!"

"Really? From who?"

"What do you mean, 'who'? From Gaara, you baka! He replied!" The pinkette bubbles as she waves the paper around. "Some on, let's go read it!"

"Oh, uh, okay," I say, suddenly nervous. I turn to Lee. "We'll finish this later, Bushy Brows. Bye!"

"Goodbye, Naruto-kun! I look forward to our re-match!" He says with a thumbs-up and a shining grin, as per usual.

I give him a quick wave as I run to catch up with Sakura. When I do, she's stopped under a tree away from everyone. She sits in the grass and pats the ground beside her, motion for me to join her. I fall to the ground and take the letter that she offers. "Read it to me," she demands.

"Sure," I nod.

I don't mind, honest. I don't think Gaara would write to me saying anything Sakura-chan can't hear. I clear my throat and open the letter, my lips parting and taking in air before I begin to read.

"_Dear Naruto,_

"_Thank you for sending me a letter; I didn't expect such a thing from you, and it was a pleasant surprise to come into my office to find one morning. I've been sleeping more and more lately, something new for me since the removal of Shukaku. I've also been having dreams, which are strange to me, because they seem so illogical… and…_" I squint down at the page. "I can't read this, Sakura-chan. He crossed it out. All I can read is the word 'and'."

"Let me see that," she says. She grabs the paper and looks it over. "Well, he has beautiful handwriting," she remarks, "But I can't read it, either."

After shrugging and handing the letter back to me, I decide to keep reading. "_Events in Suna have been minimal compared to what my sister has told me about events in Konoha. According to her, more than merely 'fights with severe injuries' happened; she says you had an entire attack from the Akatsuki, and that certain people like your former mentor, Jiraiya-sama, battled with Pein the Akatsuki leader. She said that you fought as well, and that no one wants to repeat how that went, which sparks my curiosity. Perhaps when I visit, we can 'catch up', and you can relay those events in greater detail for me._

"_I have no doubt that you could do just a good a job as your leader does or I do when you become Hokage, which I think is a feat you're destined to take on. As far as prying siblings go: yes, they are attempting to do similar things that your friend Sakura-san is attempting. Only my siblings are also trying to pull me away from my work, which I won't stand for eighty percent of the time. They also try to talk to me about 'my feelings', and it makes me rather uncomfortable. You probably know why. Unlike you, I…_" I frown. Again, a bunch of stuff is crossed out, and I can determine are the words 'unlike you, I'.

"Is there more crossed-out words?" Sakura asks me.

I nod.

"Well, keep going, then."

I shrug and continue. "_You're correct about one thing, though: I do analyze people. And what I see in you, is…_" I tilt my head. "Wow, this part is really blacked out. You'd think Gaara would just take out another piece of paper and re-write this since he keeps messing up so much."

"Oh my Kami, Naruto, are you so dense?! Don't you get what's happening? Man, I should've figured it out from the **first** scribbled-out part!"

"Figured out _what_, Sakura-chan?" I demand to know.

"Think about it, Naruto: why would Gaara struggle with what to say to you, and why would he cross out so many personal things directed towards you?" Sakura inquires with mirth in her eyes.

I shrug. "I don't know, maybe because he doesn't communicate with people often? And I bet he's never written a non-business letter in the past."

"Hmm, true, but what else, Naruto? Think like a girl for ten seconds."

"What? Why?!"

"Just do it!" she yells.

"Okay, okay, sheesh…" I grumble. "Um, let's see: struggling to find the right words, leaving out what needs to be said… In a girl's mind, I guess he'd be acting like – _Oh._" My eyes grow wide and my lips clamp shut. I swallow hard, but my throat feels dry.

Sakura-chan is smirking, her eyes wild. "You see now, don't you?"

I feel my face heat up. I point a finger at her. "Oh no, no _way_! That _can't_ be right! That's… I mean…" I lose my steam quickly. "You're just over thinking it."

"Am I?" Sakura smiles. She taps my arm to sort of push me, as if I were being silly and needed to stop. "You know a girl is never wrong. Besides, it makes a lot of sense, when you think about it…"

"No!" I repeat. "I refuse to believe that Gaara might be… b-be… um…" I sputter, my tongue dying in my mouth.

"Fine, don't believe me. But tell me, what did he sign the letter with?"

"Something crossed out, and then his name and job title," I sigh.

"Something crossed out, huh?" the pink-haired girl grins. "I rest my case."

"I hate this."

"How come?"

"Because it's so _wrong_," I murmur.

"Why? Because another guy has a crush on you?"

"No…"

"Then why, Naruto?"

"Because it's not as wrong as it should be. And _that's _wrong." I reply in a small voice.

Sakura simply laughs. "Teenaged boys," she says dismissively and with a roll of her eyes. "You can't get them together, or tear them apart."

"I said it once and I'll say it again: letter are stupid."

"Perhaps," Sakura agrees, "Or perhaps you're stupid for not realizing this sooner." She smiles. "You know, I heard that he'll be coming to Konoha next month. maybe you should confront him about this."

"And then what? Let him kill me?"

"Nah," she tells me as she walks away, "Just let him kiss you."

My face heats up again and I get defensive. I start shouting all sorts of things at my best friend, and the entire time she's laughing her ass off.


	2. Part 2

**A/N: As promised, here's part two. Now stop bugging me about it! XD**

**But now you're all demanding a third part... (And all over a dumb, cliche kiss... *shakes head*)  
*sighs exasperatedly* Okay, you'll get it, but that's _all_! **

* * *

Humph, Sakura and her teasing. You know, it can really get to a guy; but I think she dramatizes it so it really gets to me _personally_. I said she had it out for me along with Tsunade-baachan, but who am I fooling? Tsunade-baachan is nowhere as bad as she is! I mean, what do I have to do to get her off my back about Gaara and his stupid letter? Yeah, so he blacked out some things… people do that. They make mistakes or say something they don't like and they cross it out. Hell, I probably do that a lot more than most people. So why does Sakura-chan think it means something else?

Like oh, I don't know, a love confession or something? How dumb does she think I am! I know Gaara would never do anything like that! Hell, I can guess what one of the blacked out parts was just because of what he wrote beforehand. He said, _They _(meaning Kankurou and Temari, his brother and sister) _also try to talk to me about 'my feelings', and it makes me rather uncomfortable. You probably know why. Unlike you, I…_And here's my guess: _Unlike you, I don't have a single inclination of what half of the feelings I get are, so it's hard for me to express them, much less verbalize them._

Yeah, I know what he sounds like when he writes. I know big words, too, you know. I just choose not to use them, but I know what they mean. I picked them up from other people.

But that's not the point, and neither is what I think Gaara's letter says. The point I'm trying to make (but keep straying from saying) is this: Sakura-chan is an evil matchmaker, like Cupid from the depths of Hell. She's trying to get me to see something I would rather not see. Would you? Seriously, think about it: would you want to suddenly realize that you might be holding feelings for one of your most precious people who just so happens to be the same gender as you? And all because you so happen to think that he likes you in that way, too? It's insane! Even you have to admit that!

Whoever I'm talking to… I don't even know anymore. Sometimes I wonder if I'm rambling to Kyuubi and he's simply not listening. Whatever. The thing is, I can't do this. This is out of my game. It's not even in the same ballpark as my kind of game.

"Oi, Sakura-chan!" I bellow as soon as I see her a week after Gaara's reply letter came. She's been avoiding me since that day since I was so pissed at her. But I still am. How can she mess with my mind like that, making me question someone's intentions in a _dumb letter_?

"Oh, hey, Naruto," she says with a fleeting glance. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you, Pinky! Do you have any idea what kind of week I've had? My brain is all messed up because of what you said!"

She chuckles. "I figured you'd still be mad about that. Look here, Naruto: I've done nothing wrong. If I was incorrect about what I thought I saw building between Gaara-sama and you, then you wouldn't be nearly half as strung-up about this as you are. But, seeing as how you're reacting, I'm guessing I was at least on the right path." The pinkette leans forward and puts her hands on my shoulders, her eyes burrowing into mine. "So when Gaara comes in a few weeks, wait and see what happens, alright? And after you ask him about the letter, tell me what you think about this whole situation then. Because I can assure you, your mind will have drawn some sort of conclusion, and I want to know what one."

I brush her hands off of my and shrug as I turn away. "Fine, sure, whatever." I say nonchalantly. Man, she really does get to me whenever she opens that mouth of hers. How does she _do_ that? Before, I think I followed whatever she said because I had that child crush on her, but now I'm not so sure. I think she's just really conniving. Exactly like Tsunade.

* * *

Three weeks flew by quickly, and soon all of Konoha was buzzing about the arrival of the Kazekage and his council from Suna. We don't get many visits from anyone out in the desert, so whenever we do, apparently it's some big thing.

Well, I gotta admit, I'm pretty excited; almost as much as everyone else. But I have this itch that won't leave; and no, I'm not referring to some itchy patch on my arm or hard-to-reach spot on my back that needs to be scratched. I mean a gut feeling that's making me squirm from the inside. Almost like those "butterflies" girls get, but _different._

A crowd forms along the streets of Konoha, shopkeepers and customers and bystanders all peering out behind a counter or a window or a tree or someone else's back. I slip through the crowd until I'm beside Sakura-chan and Bushy Brows, both of which are friends of Gaara's like I am, only less so.

"Are they here yet?" I shout over the noise of the crowd as low-key as possible to my friends. Lee is the one who answers me.

"Almost, Naruto-kun! The Suna party will be inside the gates in a moment. I can see them now."

I struggle to look over Lee's shoulder, but after some serious balance on my tip-toes, I catch a glimpse of some Sand nin and a like of carriage-like vehicles with sheets around them. I guess Gaara would be inside one of those carriers like the other important council members, but I'm mistaken. He's up front talking to the guards, his lips hardly moving from what I can see. His sister's head pops out of the sheets of the carriage and calls out to her younger brother about something I can't hear and am too far away to read her lips for.

In no time, the entire group is parading through town down the main street, and I'm within the first couple rows. Gaara's leading the mini-parade, his graceful strides and straight back the exact image of confidence. I know there are a lot of reasons behind the manner he holds himself while he walks, and I'm glad for those reasons. It shows how much Gaara has grown over the years and through his experiences.

"Naruto," Sakura-chan whispers with a smile in her voice, "You're totally staring at Gaara."

I rip my eyes off of him and look at the ramen shop. "Am not!" I lie.

"Yes, you were! What were you looking at? Or were you merely admiring his features?" she coos, her pointer finger jabbing me playfully.

Technically, I was admiring how he was walking and idly thinking that I want to look like that when I'm Hokage, but if I say that she might take it wrong. So I say: "I wasn't looking at anything in specific, I was just wondering why he wasn't in a carriage-thingy like the others." That's sort of true; I was wondering that earlier…

Sakura puts her hands on her hips and places all her weight on one foot, as if she were scolding me like a mother would when she caught her child sneaking a cookie before dinner. "Oh, really?" she smirks. Then she waves a hand as if to shove my half-lie aside. "If that's what you want to tell yourself," she says with a false sigh.

My teeth grinding a little, I point a finger in her direction. "Shut up, will you? Just because you're a girl it doesn't mean that you can act high-and-mighty about your so-called knowledge of crushes and all that other lovey-dovey stuff, dattebayo!" I bark, my voice raising a tad too high. I feel dozens of pairs of eyes on my back when I'm finished. I stiffen and shrink to what I hope is mushroom-size. "Um… no one heard that, right?"

"I'm pretty sure many people did," Lee informs me. "Your passionate display of youthful arguing caught a lot of attention!"

"Dammit," I growl lowly to myself.

Sakura bites her lip to stop from smiling. If she were Ino, I bet she'd mouth the word, "busted" with a smirk on her face. Good thing she isn't Ino.

I slowly look around, my hands waving in surrender. "Uh, sorry about that, folks…" I say sheepishly, embarrassment burning my ears and cheeks. Now I know how Hinata must feel, only I have the feeling she turns pink for some other reason.

I lower my hands and look at the visitors from Suna. The precession is slower, and someone is staring at me while the rest of the group carries on ahead of him. I gulp when my eyes lock with his.

Gaara definitely heard me. And I mentioned a subject I know would always catch his attention, since it related to the tattoo on his forehead.

Thinking on my feet, I duck down and navigate my way out the back of the crowd. I can't face Gaara, not yet. Not when Sakura-chan is watching/pestering me, Lee is nearby, and the redhead recently heard me say something I'd rather him not hear. Because it would suck if I had to explain my outburst to Gaara. And I know if I did face him just then, he would ask about it, since that's how he is.

So, to waste time and by means of escape, I head around the back alleys of town and stop when I come to the lake. It's oddly calm today; normally, a wind would be sweeping across the water's surface and make choppy little ripples. But today it's as flat as a board, as if someone had laid a sheet over it.

With a sigh of relief, I sit down on one of the docks and pick at the worn-down wood under my hand. With my slightly enhanced hearing (kudos to Kyuubi for that), I can vaguely hear the crowd of people blocks away. "Maybe it's better that I got away from all that chaos," I mumble to myself. I smile half-heartedly. "But I bet he's miffed," I add as I lean back on the dock with my hands clasped behind my head. Honestly, I wouldn't blame Gaara if he socked me one for not replying to his letter and when he visits, I just run away. What a dick I am. At least, that's what Sai would say with that rude, I-don't-know-how-to-act-around-people tone if he were here.

"Who's miffed?" a voice asks in a dead tone coming from behind me, seemingly somewhere high up.

"Gyah!" I holler as I jump up, startled, and promptly roll off the dock to land in the water. Squirting a stream of water from my mouth, I brush the wet hair out of my eyes and look up to find Gaara in a tree. His Kazekage robes are trailing down behind the branch he's balancing on, and it's a wonder he doesn't have leaves and twigs sticking to him. "Wh-what are you doing up there? And how did you get here so fast?" I exclaim as I haul myself back up onto the dock. I shake off some of the water and yank off my heavy, sopping wet jacket.

I hear a barely audible thud as Gaara lands on the wood. He steps closer, and I find myself freezing in place.

"Shouldn't you be… uh…" I stutter, trying to collect my thoughts as I speak, "With your people? Headed for Tsunade-baachan's office?"

He merely shakes his head and comes closer still, to the point where he's right in front of me like the last time I've seen him. He stares at me, and I don't know if it's the cold water messing with my sense of temperature or not, but I swear I feel heat rising to my cheeks.

The redhead cocks his head slightly. "Clumsy," he says.

I know he means how I fell into the water, but for some odd reason I don't take it that way. Instead, I bring up the damn letters, which is a stupid thing to do. "_I'm_ clumsy? Look who's talking! You had all kinds of clumsy ink marks all over the letter you sent me!"

_Kami, Naruto, why are you so dumb? You just brought up the one thing you didn't want to talk to him about!_ I mentally bark at myself. Somewhere inside me, Kyuubi is chuckling and agreeing, clearly amused by my human antics. Tch, that furball bastard has no right to laugh at me…

Outside of my thoughts, I notice a small frown collecting on Gaara's hairless brows like a dark storm cloud. Dammit, I screwed up. I just know it.

Gaara parts his thin lips, and I automatically dread what words will sprout from them. "I'm sorry."

Shit, I knew he would…! Whoa, hold up. _He's apologizing_? "What?"

Gaara, for once, redirects his gaze. He appears to be watching the water. "I shouldn't have replied. I figured you would want one, but it was difficult to write, and I brought up some points I don't know if I mean, and ended up crossing those sections out. Hence, I'm sorry."

That's quite a lot of words for Gaara; usually he's quiet. "Oh…" I whisper. "Well, um, it's okay. I didn't mean to grill you about it, I was just… I don't know, 'ttebayo." I give up on trying to explain myself. How would Shikamaru say it? 'Explaining is troublesome.'

Gaara looks back at me, and nods once, like he understands. I don't see how he can; I'm being pretty vague here. But if he does get it, good for him, because I don't think I get it. I don't even know what 'it' is! I'm suddenly really confused. My brain is swimming and my heart is racing, as if I had run a marathon against Lee on a hot summer day. And all because Gaara's in front of me and I'm talking lightly to him about a confusing subject. Which, come to think of it, is weird in itself. Normally, when I'm around Gaara, everything is straightforward and easy. Our relationship is easy. Or it was, until… Uhg, that damn, stupid _letter_! I have the urge to punch Temari and Sakura for talking me into writing it. Especially Sakura. Which is harsh to say since she's my best friend, but…

"What are you thinking so strongly about, Naruto?" Gaara asks me.

I pull out of my thoughts and quickly wave my hands around. "Oh, not much… Random stuff, you know, nothing big!" I laugh weakly while putting my hand behind my head, and suddenly drop the act with my hand. "I'm a little off today," I admit.

"Are you ill?" he worries, real concern in his voice. To think he'd be like that at the idea of my being sick…

"No, no! I'm in tip-top shape, dattebayo! I always am, thanks to Kyuubi. It's my head, that's all. It's arguing with itself and contradicting my heart."

"Your heart?" Gaara questions, deep interest igniting in his eyes. Shit, I shouldn't have mentioned what was going on in my heart. How could I forget how he kept clutching it when I first met him?

"Um, yeah…"

Gaara blinks, his black-rimmed eyes falling to my chest. Now I know how a girl feels when a guy talks to her boobs instead of her eyes. A bit too slowly, his eyes connect again with mine. "What is your heart feeling that causes your mind to go against it?" he wants to know.

I chew on my upper lip and search my brain for a way out of this turn in the conversation. "Won't the old hag wonder where you are? Maybe we should be heading for the Hokage tower…" I suggest.

Gaara, ever the analytical one, notices my nervousness. He nods in agreement. "If you say so." He looks a little disappointed but doesn't say anything, which is polite of him. And boy, am I ever grateful.

We stroll towards the red-roofed building in silence, Gaara with his hands calmly at his sides and mine falsely casual behind my head. If I were Sakura-chan, I'd probably be walking with them clasped behind my back, my fingers tying and untying. Or, if I were Hinata, my fingers would be pointed in front of me while I walked with my head tilted downward. But I'm not a girl and I don't have any girly habits, so I'm left walking like I always do, but as more of an act than a habit this time around.

"So, um, how has your village been?" I ask to break the silence. I didn't like how thick it was growing. Silences bother me anyway, and usually I expect them when I'm around Gaara, but this time around it unnerves me. Weird, huh?

"In a bit of a drought, but otherwise fine," Gaara replies stoically. "And yours?"

I can tell he doesn't want to ask or know about my village; he'd rather ask and know about me. But I can't tell him anything, not yet. My thoughts are too unclear. "Good, good. We recently had some battles, but we've repaired almost everything."

Gaara sighs through his nose, and I can't make out what it means. He stops walking. I stop abruptly with a 'huh?' noise escaping my mouth. "Naruto," he says sternly. He doesn't need to say more than my name; I know what he's getting at by the sheer look on his face and tone in his voice.

I wince involuntarily, my eyes darting around before landing on my toes. I have nothing to say, my throat suddenly dry. What's happening here? How come I feel this way? It's like a torrent ripped through my vocal cords and iced over my brain while simultaneously whipping my heart into a beating frenzy! It's driving me _nuts_!

I kick at the dirt with my black sandal, a clod turning to powder under the rubber sole. "Look, Gaara…" I try to tell him. I really am trying to! But I'm failing miserably.

"No, Naruto," Gaara says gently. "_You_ look." He reaches over and brings my limp hand to his robes. He places my hand on his breastbone, my first reaction being to try and pull away. But Gaara's pale hand is holding onto my meaty tan one much too tightly. I feel my face heat again, some leftover water in my hair leaving an icy trail down the side of my jaw. "Look at what I tired to say in my letter but couldn't."

'_Look at what you do to my heart,' _I hear him say without verbalizing it, '_and then maybe you can figure out your own heart-related problems, and tell me what conclusion you come to.'_

Under my palm I feel warmth amplified by an erratic beating, similar to the torrent-distraught frenzy going on in my own chest. It has no pattern like a fast-beating heart, nor a skipping beat like a sickly heart. It's just beating like it doesn't know what beat of which drummer to follow.

As I slipped my hand out of Gaara's grip and stared into his aquamarine eyes, it was then that all of Sakura's teasing and the blacked-out words of Gaara's reply letter fell into place like a giant puzzle being slammed on the ground before my eyes. I know that all sounds extremely cliché and mushy, but that's honestly what I realized in that moment.

"Gaara, you –" I'm about to say that he's in love with me and that it's crazy, but maybe I kinda-sorta like him more than a friend too, when Sakura comes jogging down the street.

"Oi, Naruto! Tsunade-sama wants you to return who you kidnapped!" she shouts, a smile on her face.

"I didn't kidnap him!" I shout in riposte as I walk ahead of the redheaded Sand leader so she doesn't get suspicious. I sense that Gaara is completely immobile behind me, probably hung up on what I didn't finish saying.

"Well, if you don't want Tsunade-sama on your nine-tailed ass about it, then I suggest you come with me," she says with a wink and a hand on her hip.

I scrub my damp hair in frustration and look over at Gaara one last time to say, "Come on, we better do what she says," before I tag along behind the pinkette.

But on the walk to baa-chan's office, I feel a thin hand grasp mine. And I know it's not Sakura-chan's because she was a good two meters ahead of me.


	3. Part 3

I can't really say where Gaara and I stand presently. Well, okay, so maybe I know the physical location, but you know what I mean! Uhg, my brain is practically reeling here. Our relationship used to be stable and (like I've said before) _easy_; but now we stand on new grounds, somewhere that makes me feel queasy and elevated at the same time. I shouldn't be here! Last time I checked, I was straight and infatuated with a different close friend. And yet…

"Naruto," Gaara's silky, level voice calls to snap me out of my thoughts. Ever since he took my hand a few hours ago, I've been a lot quieter. By the sound of his subtle tone, Gaara notices and is wondering why.

Baa-chan's meetings are over; it's late in the night, so Gaara and everyone else from Suna is allowed some free time to enjoy Konoha and the multiple things here that they don't have; like trees, and grass, and bodies of water…

Anyway, Tsunade-baachan left Gaara in my care, as well as his siblings'. We're with them out in Konoha's lantern-lit streets, the warm early autumn breeze just cool enough so keep us refreshed, sweeping across our faces and down any gaps in our clothing. It's relaxing… if you're anyone else. For me, however, it's stressing. Why? Oh, I dunno, maybe because it's known be the 'romantic' type of air? Like spring, only more so. And stuff like that gets me nervous. I can't help that I'm bad with love crap! Then again, who isn't, but that's beside the point.

"Naruto…"

"Hmm?" I reply weakly, realizing that I'd drifted off into my thoughts again, and Gaara had once more called my name. "Sorry, I was getting a little spacey for a minute there. What's up?"

Gaara looks deeply into my eyes, trying to read whatever it is I'm thinking but not saying. For some odd reason, I start feeling clammy under his gaze. I don't understand it; what could've happened to make such a change in Gaara's feelings towards me, and (although I don't want to admit it) the change in my feelings for him? It feels random to me, but maybe it isn't…

"You're unsure," the redhead states collectively, a nearly unnoticeable frown in his brows.

"About what?" I ask, playing dumb.

His voice falls low, and his expression turns softer as he turns away slightly. I don't understand this, because Gaara has by no means acted this way in the past. "About me," he says just above a whisper.

"Oh," I mouth, my face feeling warmer. I steal a glance at his siblings, whom seem too preoccupied with something else to notice this exchange between Gaara and me. I run a hand through my spiky hair and blow air out my mouth as the run-through turns into a scrub at my scalp. "Well, see… um…"

Out of the corner of my eye I catch Gaara glancing at his siblings like I had. "Let's evade them," he suggests. "We can't work this situation out in front of them. Especially not Temari." Raising his voice a bit so they can hear, he calls to his sister, "Onee-san, Naruto is going to show me something. You two may venture wherever you please."

I smile when he calls his sister 'onee-san', presuming that he hasn't called her something that fond since he was a child. It's nice to see that he gets along with them now, unlike when I first met him and he controlled his siblings with fear.

"Oh… alright," Temari says idly. She shrugs and grabs hold of Kankurou's arm. "Come on, there's obviously something going on," I catch her muttering with a smirk to the brunette. I wonder if Gaara heard that, too.

Whether he heard it or not, I catch a relieved expression on his face for a moment. With a comfortable smile in his eyes, he walks ahead of me towards the walking path through the lighter area of the woods. He expects me to follow, and with a sigh I do because I have no real choice in the matter. If I don't follow him, none of this crap will get settled.

As I jog to join the Kazekage, a tiny flood of tingling heat courses down my body as I remember what it felt like to have my hand over Gaara's drumming heart. I slowly pace to a short walk and gulp audibly. The haze of the street lights fade and the moon illuminates the trees, casting shadows. I see a couple stars above me twinkle, as if they're squinting to spy on Gaara and me.

Now I'm feeling extremely uncomfortable, and I stop completely, grass crunching under my sandals loud enough in the silence for Gaara to hear. He turns and looks at me, his hair seemingly a dark maroon in the moonlight while his white robes glow faintly blue. He waits for me to say something.

I stare down at the forest floor, dusty and grassy with random dying weeds and mossy rocks turning brown with the oncoming winter a couple short months away. (Man, don't I sound too poetic? I swear, the seriousness of the situation is making me go crazy inside, thinking about the small things like my surroundings when normally I couldn't care less! Or maybe it's the fact that I'm in Gaara's presence? That certainly could be part of it…)

Eyes still locked on the ground, I speak up: "So what's this all about? Why do we need to be isolated from everyone to talk?"

"You're not that dense, Naruto. You know why." He retorts immediately.

I wince, not wanting to admit why. It's kinda… awkward. "No, I am that dense. What's all this for?"

"Look at me," He says, his voice closer than before. Strange, I hadn't heard him move…

I cast my eyes upwards and meet his, which are a fraction below my eyelevel. Is he a little bit shorter than me?

"You're not dense. You can read people better than anyone, and I've hinted enough by that simple gesture earlier," he states matter-of-factly. "You're in denial."

How come he's the only one that can see that kind of stuff? I'm pretty sure no one else notices when I'm in denial about something; they all think I'm messing around or a complete idiot. To be honest, I like it that way; it's safe.

"So what if I am?" I return, my tone defiant but my lower lip trembling nervously. "It's not my fault that I can't wrap my mind around…" I drift off, my thoughts turning to mush.

"The thought around what, Naruto?" Gaara questions.

In the moonlight, his eyes look minty-grey instead of aqua. It's distracting.

"Will you not answer me?" he asks, his voice softer. He scowls lightly and turns about face. "I had a feeling you'd be difficult."

Now, you'd think when he said this he might sound angry, but I'm surprised; he sounds instead very remorseful, as if he's sorry that I'm being 'difficult' and wishes I wasn't.

My throat is dry, so I wet my lips and swallow as I touch his shoulder. He flinches, not used to being touched unless he imposes the action first. "I'm sorry, Gaara; I don't mean to be. I'm just… confused."

"What's there to be confused about?" he says, still refusing to look at me. Before, I couldn't look at him; but now, I can't seem to look away. He's the opposite. "Either you know what the emotion is and realize that you feel the same, or you don't."

I bite my bottom lip. "Well…" I say slowly as my hands slides off his shoulder, "I know what the emotion is…"

He peers over his shoulder, turning towards me half of the way. I gasp minutely, blinking as if I don't believe what I'm seeing. I thought his voice sounded thinner when he told me my choices, but I hadn't realized that he was crying. Not much, and there wasn't more than a single trail down one cheek, but his eyes were watery and darker, meaning if we were in the sunlight, they would be a bloodshot pink.

"Gaara…" I say in a hushed, breathy tone. My heart is melting in my chest, turning into a bloody pool in the pit of my stomach.

"What is the emotion? I think I know, but I don't fully understand…"

Seeing him on the brink of being in pain and utterly lost makes him seem vulnerable. Like rescuing him from the Akatsuki's clutches all over again, I feel the need to shelter him.

Not knowing what I was going to do, I followed my arms and feet towards him, my fingers clasping together and my skin growing warmer as I bring our bodies together. I don't know what this is supposed to mean, holding my friend and fellow Jinchuuriki (er, well, not any longer, but he used to be) so close to my heart – literally. I'm sure it's breaking down whatever walls the redhead holds within himself, and probably shattering our friendship.

"It's love, Gaara," I murmur in his ear, the blood red strands of his hair soft against my cheek. I'm burning all over, as if Kyuubi's chakra wis flowing through my flesh. But it's not; this is something else.

I hear a sharp intake of break come from him, and take it as a gasp. He tenses under my arms before steadily beginning to loosen. With essentially no distance between us, I feel his heart speed up and slow down, following the same patter of his muscles. "I thought so," he accepts after a moment.

I nod and pull away enough to see his face, my arms remaining on his shoulders. "When did it happen, do you think?" I wonder in a low voice that sounds small to me.

He doesn't hesitate. He focuses on my face as he tells me: "The second I saw you smiling at me after I returned from death; the feeling started then, and didn't stop." He waits for a reaction, but so far the only one I can make is an open-mouthed gape. He continues with his hand clutching his shirt, "It hurt to say goodbye to you. I didn't know when I'd see you again, and somehow that hurt me. But I knew I had to let go of your hand and let you go back to your people." He pauses, his eyes leaving mine as he removes my hands. My mouth is shut tight by now, a stream of words bubbling up but not coming out. "So when you sent a letter to me…"Gaara croaks, tears welling in his eyes again, although not spilling over, "…It's odd, but I've never felt happier."

Now _I_ feel like crying! Who knew the two of us could be such saps? "G-Gaara…"

"What?" he snaps. He blinks away his tears and points at me, the only readable expression lying in his eyes as his voice goes dead. "Say something to me! I need to know right now where we stand, Naruto."

And, suddenly, I know: after what I'm about to tell him, we can never be friends again. Because even though I've been trying to decide the entire night exactly what he's demanding me to answer, I know how to answer. How did I figure it out now of all times, you ask? Well, if you saw the look in his eyes right now, you'd be just as decisive as I am. With an achingly slow-pumping heart, I confess: "I'm in love with you, too, Gaara."

He looks completely taken aback. The Kazekage sways for a millisecond on his feet. He takes a step backward, his mouth falling open part of the way as he blinks unsurely at me. He's awestruck and unable to speak, so his lips start to twitch. He's never heard anyone say that to him, and I'm sure he was prepared to live the rest of his life without hearing those words. Hell, I'm the same! But not anymore. Not now, when I know how he feels… even if he is another male and an unexplainably precious person to me, despite how we were when we met a few years back.

I smile weakly to hide how weird I feel. "Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to believe in me?" I ask, my arms open as if waiting for an embrace.

He looks from my right hand, to my face, to my left, over and over again. Then, finally, he resumes his composed facial expression and lowers his eyelids. "I'm not sure. It seems…"

"Too good to be true?" I supply. He nods. I chuckle with no real sound and smile brighter, stronger, some of my teeth daring to show. "Well, for a shinobi, everything that isn't fatal seems that way. But now that I'm not in denial anymore, I know it's true. So if you can know that, too, then –"

Without warning, Gaara launches himself at me, and for a second I think he's going to attack me due to the dumb way I was trained. But when I feel his arms around my neck, I know he doesn't mean any harm. It's out of character for him to be flinging his arms around me, but I don't mind. In fact, the little gesture of affection is totally welcome; I don't know how, but it feels like we're supposed to be chest-to-chest.

I wrap my arms around his waist and smile into his shoulder. "See? Now that wasn't so hard."

"Naruto," Gaara breathes, and I like the tone he uses for my name. It's lacking the shock like when he came back to life, but it sounds similar.

I'm still smiling, relief and a golden sense of no longer being confused lifting me up. I turn to face the redhead dead-on. His skin is smooth and milky-pale in the moonlight, his scar deep, dark slashes somehow accenting his chin and mouth with it's contrast. I lean down, my eyelids closing automatically.

Gaara tenses under my hands, and at first he doesn't know what I'm going to do. His hands clench the sleeves of my jacket, but I hardly feel the little pinch he gives me. I quickly press my mouth to his, for fear that I'll lose my nerve. There's a muffled sound coming from Gaara, and then a humming noise of him accepting my kiss.

I don't know how to describe it… it's the weirdest and best feeling in the world, something I'm not used to but am absolutely enjoying to the fullest. In response, Gaara begins to messily mold his lips with mine, and it takes a few tries until we get it right. At this point, I feel his nails digging into my arms, and his shaggy hair is woven around my fingers. I pry open his mouth with my tongue and get a giddy feeling in my chest as if my heart is going to fly out of it like a bird. Gaara welcomes me inside, his tongue experimentally messing around with mine. We part for air, and I start giggling.

The redhead raises a brow muscle at my laughter. When the chuckles pass, I explain myself. "It's so natural; it kinda freaks me out."

"Is that a good thing?" he wants to know.

I nod with a wide grin plastered on my face. "Definitely."

And then I dive in for another kiss, which Gaara is prepared for this time around.

* * *

**  
A/N: Y'all had to have your cliche kiss, didn't ya? The dorky letter thing wasn't enough, was it? Or the hand-holding? You all simply HAD to have the kiss? Jeez! I've written so many NaruGaa kisses and smut that I was hoping I didn't have to write it this time! But I did, and despite all the fuss I'm making about this, I actually love how it turned out. XD**


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